The good news is FUSD won’t lose as much in state funds as first projected.

As a result, the district will come within $200,000 of a break-even preliminary operating budget of $44.5 million next year.

That was the word from Ken Garland, budget and finance director of the FlagstaffUnified School District, as he reviewed preliminary budget figures with the governing board last Tuesday.

His suggestions for closing the gap ranged from shifting federal funds into the general operating fund to eliminating one elementary school teacher position. The gap was already narrowed by the school board’s decision not to replace with local funds $460,000 in lost state Career Ladder money that had gone to higher teacher pay based, in part, on advanced academic coursework.